Pranab lashes out at Left for withdrawal of support to UPA

Kolkata, Aug 9 (UNI) Coming down heavily on the Left for withdrawing support to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the Centre, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee today said the country's economic growth and development could not be possible sans nuclear power.

''The Congress has ruled the country for 45 years alone without taking any support from other parties. But if the Left thinks that just for its support for four years, it will create pressure on the Centre, they are committing a great mistake. The Congress will not deviate from its stand by immersing the party's policy, '' Mr Mukherjee asserted during a '' Panchayatiraj Nagarpalika Sammelan '' convention, organised by the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee here.

Reacting to the Left's allegation that the Congress did not fulfil the Common Minimum Programme agenda completely, Mr Mukherjee asked what assurance of the CMP had not been maintained and wanted to know what the Left meant by ''independent foreign policy''.

''The Congress needs not learn the policy from the Left, '' he stated.

He said 30 crore houses throughout the country went without power and ''it is our responsibility to provide them with electricity and so we are asking the Left not to create any unnecessary hurdle against the Centre. The Left has not done anything in right time.'' ''The Lok Sabha election is knocking at the door and we will go to the people and clarify them our party's stand regarding the country's development,'' he added.

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